Braces
by witchbeth
Summary: One day claire goes to the orthodontist to get braces. What will quil do with claire in so much pain? Just a oneshot, cute fluff.claire/quil jr.


**A/N: So I know I should be working on Reflections in the Silence now, and I swear I am, I just got a little sidetracked by this idea for a oneshot. Thanks to my beta Auphora66 as usual, she is the best =). **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything recognizable in the story from the twilight series =)**

"OWWWWWW!" I cried out, quickly putting down the sandwich I was attempting to eat. I whimpered for a short moment, in pain.

I had just got back from the orthodontist; apparently the dentist felt that I needed braces.

Go figure, just as I was about to enter into my second year of high school, I needed braces. As if I wasn't enough of a social outcast already. I was pretty certain that _no one _would want to date me. I mean, who waits till their sophomore year in high school to get braces?

I heard someone knock on the door. I got up and pushed my chair back from the kitchen table. It was probably Quil. The guy has been around for as long as I could remember -not that it bothered me, he was my best friend.

I hesitated in making my way to the door; I realized that I was in no hurry to have Quil see my mouth full of metal. I knew that I wasn't pretty; and he, being utterly gorgeous man that he is, wouldn't want to even look at me. Or date me.

Both results are a stab to the heart because as of late, I've developed a crush on him. It all started recently, the symptoms of liking someone in _that _way. I had begun to notice that the kind and gentle Quil was very good looking, to put it as an understatement. His over six foot tall build was muscular and strong, the sight made my thought process freeze up every so often. His dark skin was hot to the touch, as it had always been, but it now ignited a pleasant fire in the pit of my stomach. His cropped coal black hair drew my attention, making me want to run my hands over his skull.

That was _only _half of it.

I cherished every second with him. My thought process centered on his existence, how I was so lucky to have him as my friend. He had always been there for me; doing acts of kindness and making me feel better when I was sad. He selflessly put my needs first all the time.

And I had begun to hope that if I looked attractive and feminine, I might have a chance with Quil…

Tch, who was I kidding?

Quil was older than me by _a lot_. Despite his teenage-like behavior, he was a full grown man; why would he be interested in an ugly high school sophomore?

Another loud knock on the door brought me out of my thoughts and I hurried to answer the door.

Quil gave me a big bear hug as the door was open, which didn't help me get over him as my crush. Not one bit.

"Hey Claire what's up?" he asked, releasing me before I turned blue. He stepped inside and closed the door.

"Nothing." I lied, wincing.

His eyes filled up with concern, but he didn't say anything. He looked concerned but didn't ask. My braces had so far gone unnoticed.

I turned away from him; fighting the urge to tell him about my braces. As much as I disliked the brackets and wire, it was weird hiding them from him. I never kept secrets from Quil, well, except for my newly developed feeling for him. I hadn't told him, not sure how he would take it. It felt weird hiding things from Quil, I never did.

"Just sit on the couch." I call to him as I walk away. "I'll be back in a sec." I needed to finish eating my sandwich.

I caught my reflection in the mirror while walking down the hallway; the corners of my mouth dropped out of a smile. I would have to tighten my control over my smile if I wanted to keep my hideous braces hidden. I saw that a few chocolate brown wisps hanging of hair had escaped my messy bun. I was in my favorite pair of beat up sweatpants; they were big, baggy, and gray with my high school's logo on them. My white t-shirt fit snug to my flat stomach and flaunted my barely-there curves. My jaw was tense from the pain of the braces.

I pulled my eyes away from the mirror and entered the kitchen. I picked my sandwich off of the napkin and…

"Ouch!" I hissed in pain as I tried to take another bite. Irritation swelled up; I just wanted to eat my sandwich, where was the crime in that?

Quil rushed into the room, his eyes searching and his body tense. He relaxed a little when he saw that it was just me in the kitchen and there was no imminent danger. The worry in his liquid chocolate eyes didn't fade. He went straight to me, invading my space much to my delight.

"What's wrong Claire?" Quil asked, his eyes roaming over my body looking for any injury. After finding none, he looked into my eyes concern and confusion etched onto his face.

"My mouth hurts." I complained, grimacing from the ache that pounded my teeth. The corners of my mouth pulled back, showing him my braces.

"You...wha-?" he seemed at a loss of what to say. "...Huh. Since when do you have braces?" he eventually asked.

"This morning." I said turning away from him. I had kinda been hoping that he would say that he liked the color of my braces. Or that in a few years I would have straight teeth and be stunning…or something like that. His reaction only assured me that I was an eye sore.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked suddenly, sounding hurt, "I could have been there."

"I was afraid." I mumbled quietly, hoping that he wouldn't understand and just let the topic drop. Somehow he still caught it.

"Afraid of what?" he asked softly, tilting my chin upwards with his warm hand, sending a tiny shiver down my back. Electricity skirted beneath my skin.

I couldn't look at him straight in the eye. "That you would think I was ugly." I admitted. "And that you wouldn't like me." I whispered, guilt swallowing me whole. We were best friends; I should have known better than to think that he would stop liking me because of some metal pieces glued to my teeth, despite their repulsiveness.

"Claire," Quil said in a voice that commanded my attention. I hesitantly looked into warm eyes. "I could _never_ think you were ugly," his tone was soft. "You are the complete opposite of ugly, I promise." Apparently he hadn't thought much about the last part; odd, because Quil was never the type to make a promise that he couldn't keep.

"Quil, I'm like a board, with almost no curves. My features make me look haughty and stuck up. My hair is a frizz magnet. I have thunder thighs from soccer. And now I have braces that deform my smile." I listed off.

"Don't be silly," he murmured, leaning down to gently press his forehead against mine, releasing my chin. "Claire-bear, you have never been and will never be ugly in any shape or form." He assured me, his hot breath tickling my skin and making my heart beat faster. "You're fit, so don't go insulting yourself. And it just so happens that I like your hair; it adds to your personality. You wouldn't be _you _anymore if you changed your appearance. You're perfect just the way you are and I will _always_ love you for that."

My heart throbbed at his last words, knowing he would never mean it as more than a friendship kind of love. I moved my eyes to the floor. Then the heat on my forehead was gone.

Warmth returned as Quil gently pulled my chin up to examine my mouth. "Now where does it hurt?"

"My whole mouth." I said, my tone conveying how miserable I was.

He sat me down on the table. "Did you try putting ice on it?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"Let's try that then," he suggested.

When he didn't move, I nodded to show my approval.

Quil reached the fridge in two quick strides and opened up the freezer. He hurriedly wrapped ice in a towel -not wanting to melt it- and gently pressed it to my cheek. Unfortunately, that only made the ache worse. When I told him this he immediately drew back and apologized several times.

I had to tell him several times that it wasn't his fault, he couldn't have known; I wasn't dying. "Quil, seriously." I said for the kajillionth time.

He took my face in his hands and stared at me.

I smiled timidly at him, wanting to convey that I was alright.

As the seconds passed, his gaze became more intense.

My heart thudded against my chest at ten times the normal rate. "Quil?" I questioned, my voice unable to retain much volume. Why was he looking at me like that? He didn't like me like _that_, right? Right?

He leaned forward and softly kissed my jaw. He moved from below my left ear and kissed a burning trail down my jaw and back up the right side.

I sat there completely frozen with my heart beat jagged and speeding as if I had played two full games of soccer without stopping.

Quil pulled away and looked at me with burning eyes.

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding. Something had definitely changed inside of him.

He had switched from my best friend to something more in a matter of seconds. It was as if he could understand exactly what I needed, but then again, he had always been gifted in that department. Right now I needed someone to love me and take care of me, and Quil was the only person I would ever consider fulfilling that occupation.

"Better?" he asked, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

I could only nod.

"What was that?" I asked breathlessly.

"I think it is time we had a talk, Claire." Quil began. "Remember when I told you about me being a wolf last year?"

I nodded, the memory was prominent in my mind. A year ago, I had been so relieved to finally be in on his secret. He had seemed surprised I took it so well.

"Okay, so there is this quirk that werewolves have," he paused and fidgeted uncomfortably. He averted his eyes from me and then they returned after a deep breath. Then his words raced out, "It's called imprinting. It can happen anytime after someone phases for their first time; it basically tells us who our soul mate is. When you see that special person, it is like gravity shifts, and that person becomes your whole world. It's like love at first sight -but stronger. You then know that you and your imprint are going to be together forever." Quil took another deep breath before saying, "Claire, I imprinted on you."

I sat there in shock, numb. I didn't know what to say; my brain was too occupied replaying his words. They were true. This wasn't a dream. Relief and happiness broke through the numbness. Quil loved me! He was going to stay with me -forever!

I didn't have a crush on Quil, I realized. I loved him. -Nothing would change that.

The realization didn't really surprise me, I guess I had subconsciously known it all along. My eyes refocused and saw that he was watching me with apprehension, and hope. There was a glimmer of gentle affection that I had once thought was friendship.

He was waiting for me to respond.

"I love you, Quil."

Those simple three words made his face light up like I had never seen before. He was glowing from the inside out. His grin nearly split his face in half and his eyes were bright with happiness, relief, adoration and love. "I love you too, Claire."

Besides Quil, there was no one in the world that could match the amount of joy and happiness that filled my entire being. Maybe braces weren't so bad after all.


End file.
